What Happened to 'Femme FM' And KUT

RECEIVED Fri., Sept. 22, 2006

Dear Editor, What's up? I go out of town for a couple of weeks and return to find that one of my favorite shows, Femme FM, is no longer on KUT. And not only is it no longer anywhere on the roster, but it's been replaced by four hours of Paul Ray and Twine Time [“Media Watch,” News, Sept. 8]?! I mean, come on! I was a kid in the Sixties, living near Detroit, listening to this music on local AM radio stations when it was real and fresh and significant. Commercial, corporate "Oldies" stations across the country are playing this stuff (most of which has been bastardized to sell everything from cars to laxatives) all the time now. Why do we need four hours of it on KUT? When I moved to Austin a few years ago, I spent a lot of time bragging to friends in other cities about how great the programming was on KUT – especially Femme FM. I turned 'em on to KUT.org so they could listen. And I became a member of KUT because they were so great at presenting new voices and at keeping an eclectic, balanced, and fresh mix of all kinds of old and new music. Cutting such an important and unique program like Femme FM makes me rethink my membership. Thank you, Teresa Ferguson, for putting so much into searching for and presenting so many fine female musical artists over the years. Thanks for keeping our voices alive. I hope you'll keep carrying the torch, even if it's not at KUT.